Radio Frequency (RF) active components such as amplifiers and passive components generate harmonics, intermodulation, spurious signals and noise. Passing multiple frequencies simultaneously through active components adds additional noise which reduces the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance. Passing multiple frequencies simultaneously through active components also generates distortion and unwanted spurious signals due to the non-linearity of the device. This reduces the signal to noise and distortion (SINAD) performance. These unwanted signals can interfere, distort and otherwise detrimentally impact the clear transmission and amplification of communication signals used in communication systems.
In the case of wireless communication systems, the unwanted signals are radiated into the free-space causing interference and a noise build-up for other wireless systems operating near the noisy transmitter and or near the same frequency bands. The amount of noise and spurious signal permitted to be emitted is tightly regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States and comparable agencies in other countries. The FCC has recently further reduced the spurious signal level permitted to be transmitted by a radiating system making it even more difficult to amplify and transport a compliant signal meeting the FCC's standards.
In addition, multicarrier amplifiers are inefficient in their conversion of power from DC to RF. To reduce the intermodulation requires higher powered amplifiers that further add to the inefficient power consumption.
Furthermore, the invention has a positive impact on system reliability. The fact that a single amplifier is used to amplify multiple signals, when a single multicarrier amplifier fails, all the signals in the system are lost and unusable creating a risk to first responder users. A single multicarrier amplifier creates a single point of failure highly undesirable for the first responder users who are relying on the system for their communication during an emergency incident.